This invention pertains generally to the heating and cooling of enclosed spaces and, more particularly, to an air conditioning system and method.
In the air conditioning systems most commonly used today, warm air is drawn from the space to be cooled, refrigerated, and then gently blown back into that space. This type of system is generally effective in producing the desired cooling, but it is relatively expensive to operate.
Another type of air conditioning system which is less commonly employed is evaporative cooling. In that system, air is simply blown through a wet media and into the space to be cooled. This type of system is less costly to operated than a refrigerated system, but it tends to produce humidity and is less effective than a refrigerated system.
It is in general an object of the invention to provide a new and improved air conditioning system and method.
Another object of the invention is to provide an air conditioning system and method of the above character which overcome the limitations and disadvantages of the prior art.
These and other objects are achieved in accordance with the invention by providing an air conditioning system and method in which a refrigerant from a compressor is circulated through a cooling element within a hermetically sealed, thermally insulated cooling compartment, and cooled air from the compartment is delivered to a space to be cooled. In one disclosed embodiment, the cooling compartment is located at the center of a solid cube of insulative material and is heavily insulated from the ambient conditions outside the cube.
FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partly broken away and somewhat schematic, of one embodiment of an air conditioning system incorporating the invention.
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of an embodiment of an automobile having an air conditioning system in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 3 is an elevational view, partly broken away and somewhat schematic, of the air conditioning system in the embodiment of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is an isometric view, partly broken away and somewhat schematic, of another embodiment of an air conditioning system incorporating the invention.
FIG. 5 is an isometric view of an embodiment of a small building having a solar panel mounted thereon for powering an air conditioning system to cool the interior of the building in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary isometric view of a solar panel mounted on top of a structure for powering an air conditioning system to cool the interior of the structure in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 7 is an isometric view, partly broken away and somewhat schematic, of another embodiment of an air conditioning system incorporating the invention.
FIG. 8 is an isometric view of another embodiment of an air conditioning system incorporating the invention.
FIG. 9 is a fragmentary isometric view of the embodiment of FIG. 8 with an access plug removed to provide access to an internal cooling cavity.
FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view, somewhat schematic, of the embodiment of FIG. 8.